


Grace

by thephilosophersapprentice



Series: Four Times the Champions Helped Link [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Feelings, Mipha Deserved Better, Multi, seriously grab your tissues for this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:06:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28993404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thephilosophersapprentice/pseuds/thephilosophersapprentice
Summary: A century later, Link has questions for Mipha.aka I wanted to give Mipha more of a personality outside of Link's dead love interest, while also exploring her relationships with Link and Zelda. This is that fic.
Relationships: Link & Mipha (Legend of Zelda), Mipha & Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Series: Four Times the Champions Helped Link [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2126889
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	Grace

It was late at night when Link spoke up. “Mipha.”

He could tell by the brief silence that she was startled. She didn’t manifest visibly, but she said, sounding close to his ear, “Yes, Link?”

“All I know about you was framed in relation to me. I didn’t… I didn’t even get to see what our childhood was like. All I remember is you promising to heal me… all they’d tell me was…” He couldn’t say it. Not out loud. “I think I may have missed the question you were actually asking, at the time. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” Mipha’s usually soft voice was firm, stern. “You and I… our responsibilities leave us no room for regret. I have never regretted my decision to follow you and Zelda. It was an honor to serve with both of you, and it is not our fault—not yours, not Zelda’s, not mine, not Daruk’s, not Urbosa’s, not Revali’s—that it all ended the way it did. We did everything we could.” Her voice softened again. “What did you want to ask me?”

Link cleared his throat. Words were still difficult. It could have always been that way with him. How would he know? “I want to know about _you_. Your aspirations. The life you had outside of me.”

There was a pause as Mipha thought about it. “I was going to grow up, and my father was going to retire while I led our people. He was going to get to rest. I was going to build a new world along with Zelda, one where the Zora wouldn’t be so isolated. I wouldn’t be a distant monarch, but a friend as well as a guide to my people. I was going to build, and heal, and face the future with the same courage with which you always carried yourself.”

Link blinked back tears. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to do any of that.”

Mipha’s voice was soft and nostalgic. “You’ve always been kind, Link. I think I’ve always wanted to be like you.” She paused for a moment. “Do you want to hear about our childhood?”

Link nodded, not trusting his voice.

“We both loved music. I loved to sing, and you were learning to play a little reed flute. It always used to frustrate you that you couldn’t play underwater to accompany my singing. We liked to make things. We would dive for the prettiest river pebbles to make into our own jewelry. You had a knack for finding beautiful things. There was one wire-wrapped agate bracelet you made for me and it was the most precious thing I owned; your chubby little hands were so clumsy, but you still managed to make that for me. And you were always climbing things.” Mipha laughed. “I never told you, but I thought you were trying to make up for being short.”

Link blushed. He ducked his head. “I think I remember the music… some of it, anyway.” He hummed a melody questioningly.

“I used to sing you to sleep with that.” Mipha’s voice was rich with an unseen smile. “I pierced your ears for you when you were six and I had no concept of how mentally mature Hylian children that age were. Our fathers were so upset, but you weren’t. You didn’t cry at all, and you were so happy to have those earrings. Of course, they were too ornate and too large for your climbing habits, so we changed them out for those carved turquoises you’re wearing now.”

Link touched the small loops in his ears. “We were really close.”

“We were,” Mipha confirmed, a slight smile in her voice. Her tone turned sad. “I’m breaking my own rules, but I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you, either. Because I wasn’t there to heal you, you lost everything from your past.”

“I don’t know if I had feelings for you,” Link confessed. “Not the same way they say you did for me.”

A phantom warmth caressed his leg. “You know… it wasn’t just you I was going to make armor for.”

Link’s breath froze in his throat. “What do you mean?”

“If we had defeated the Calamity, when Zelda came of age and was crowned and free to choose for herself, I was going to present her with armor too.” Mipha’s voice was full of a century-old sadness. “She deserved to be surrounded by people who loved her. We were going to help her unlearn the self-disregard she learned from her father, to rebuild the self-esteem she had lost.”

Link blinked rapidly. “You loved to help people. That’s who you were.”

“I still am, Link.” Hesitantly: “May I make a personal request of you? Even if you find don’t love Zelda the same way… you still care about her. Will you help her to unlearn all the blame?”

Link nodded.

“You love to help people too, you know. Maybe… maybe one day you’ll be able to use my grace to heal others, too. I could not have chosen a more worthy bearer for my gift.”

Link sniffled. “I miss you,” he said, honestly.

“I know.”


End file.
